Aluminum alloy coatings with high strength and high thermal stability and method of making the same

Abstract

A high-strength aluminum alloy coating on a metal or an alloy. The coating contains an aluminum matrix, 9R phase, fine grains in the size range of 2-100 nm, nanotwins, and at least one solute in the aluminum capable of stabilizing grains of the aluminum matrix. A method of making a high-strength aluminum alloy coating on a substrate. The method includes providing a substrate, providing at least one source for each constituent of an aluminum alloy, and depositing atoms of each constituent of the aluminum alloy from the corresponding at least one source of each constituent of the aluminum alloy on the substrate utilizing a deposition method, wherein the deposited atoms form an aluminum alloy coating containing 9R phase, fine grains, and nanotwins.

1 . A high-strength aluminum alloy coating on a metal or an alloy, comprising:
 aluminum matrix;   9R phase;   fine grains;   nanotwins; and   at least one solute in the aluminum capable of stabilizing grains of the aluminum matrix.   
     
     
         2 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 1 , where in the at least one solute is one of iron, titanium, zirconium, and chromium. 
     
     
         3 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 1 , where in the at least one solute is more than one solute. 
     
     
         4 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one solute is two solutes. 
     
     
         5 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 4 , wherein the two solutes are iron and titanium. 
     
     
         6 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein the compressive strength of the coating is in the range of 1.5-2.5 Gpa in the temperature range 25 C-400 C 
     
     
         7 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein the fine grains are equiaxed or columnar. 
     
     
         8 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , where in the coating has thickness in the range of 0.1-200 micrometers. 
     
     
         9 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein the fine grains are in the size range of 2 nm-10 nm 
     
     
         10 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 1 , wherein inter-twin spacing of the nanotwins is in the range 5 nm-30 nm. 
     
     
         11 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein iron content is in the range of 2-10 atomic percent and the titanium content is in the range of 2-10 atomic percent 
     
     
         12 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein deformability of the coating is in the range of 5-25% 
     
     
         13 . The high-strength aluminum alloy coating of  claim 5 , wherein the hardness of the coating is in the range of 4.5-7.0 GPa 
     
     
         14 . A method of making a high-strength aluminum alloy coating on a substrate, the method comprising:
 providing a substrate;   providing at least one source for each constituent of an aluminum alloy;   depositing atoms of each constituent of the aluminum alloy from the corresponding at least one source of each constituent of the aluminum alloy on the substrate utilizing a deposition method, wherein the deposited atoms form an aluminum alloy coating containing 9R phase, fine grains, and nanotwins.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , where in the constituents of the aluminum alloy include iron, titanium, chromium, and zirconium. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the deposition method is one of sputtering, evaporation, laser ablation, and physical vapor deposition. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the substrate is one of a metallic material or a polymer material or a semiconductor material. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the substrate is one of silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the substrate is a metal or an alloy. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the metal is one of copper, nickel, and stainless steel, the method of  claim 18 , wherein the alloy is one of an aluminum alloy, a copper alloy a nickel alloy and a titanium alloy. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises one or more of iron, cobalt, titanium, magnesium, and chromium. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising the step of annealing at a temperature to result in an equiaxed grain structure for the coating. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the annealing temperature is in the range of 430° C.-700° C.